The L.A. Times music blog

As subtle as being hit by a bus: Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' video

July 15, 2009 | 11:02
am

One has to give Mariah Carey credit here. She certainly knows how to stay in the headlines. Her first single from her upcoming album, "Obsessed," may or may not be a response to Eminem's recent "Bagpipes From Baghdad," and in the clip, she may or may not be dressing up as Eminem.

You can watch it below (for now), or see a cleaner version tonight during NBC's "America's Got Talent." Yahoo initially said the clip would be available online Tuesday night, but it hasn't materialized, at least officially.

But if the song saw Carey dropping one-liners at her undisclosed obsessee, labeling him "delusional" and snapping "You're a mom and pop / I'm a corporation," the video, directed by frequent Carey collaborator Brett Ratner, seems more about fear. The Eminem lookalike is tailing Carey out on the street, and there he is again in one of Carey's photo shoots -- representing anyone and everyone who isn't part of Carey's circle.

Rather than highlight the snappy put-downs of the song, it showcases the closed-off inner-sanctums of the rich and famous. But Carey still gets her revenge, albeit with the help of public transportation, in a somewhat abrupt and uncomfortable ending.